The present invention relates to an arrangement for supplying power, particularly for supplying power to a motor vehicle.
For the vehicle drive, hybrid vehicles and purely electric vehicles require an efficient electric energy storage device. Several “storage elements” or storage cells can be interconnected to form a so-called “cell module”. An energy storage device, in turn, may consist of several such cell modules. During the operation, considerable heat output may occur in an electric energy storage device. At least in some operating states, an active cooling is therefore necessary in order to avoid an “overheating” of the energy storage device.
It is an object of the invention to create an arrangement for supplying power which has a cooling device having a construction that is as simple and compact as possible and can easily be connected to a cooling or coolant circuit.
This object is achieved by means of the characteristics set forth in the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are contained in the subclaims.
The starting point of the invention is an arrangement for supplying power, particularly for the power supply of an electric drive of a motor vehicle. The arrangement has a cell module which, in turn, has several mutually electrically interconnected storage cells. The individual storage cells may be arranged, for example, in a row behind one another, in a rectangular grid, or in a different manner relative to one another. They may have circular-cylindrical or angular housings.
Storage cells of a cell module arranged behind one another are arranged between a first and a second plate-type element. The plate-type elements may be called “pressure plates”. It may be provided that the pressure plates are clamped together by means of tension elements (so-called “tensioning straps”). As a result, it is avoided that the cell module significantly deforms during the operation.
The storage cells of a cell module are arranged on a plate-type cooling element and preferably are connected in a thermally conductive manner with the plate-type cooling element. It may be provided that longitudinal axes of the storage cells are perpendicularly oriented on the plate-type cooling element. Bottom sides or side faces of the storage cells may be connected with the cooling element, for example, by means of a thermally conductive adhesive.
In the cooling element, a cooling duct system is provided which has at least one inlet and at least one outlet. A coolant or a refrigerant may flow through the cooling duct system. In this context, a “coolant” is liquid in any operating state. A “refrigerant” is a substance which, during the operation, may partially or completely assume a liquid and/or gaseous state, depending on the momentary temperature conditions and pressure conditions. The cooling duct system of the cooling element may thereby, for example, be connected to a refrigerant circuit of a vehicle air-conditioning system.
According to the invention, the at least one inlet and/or the at least one outlet of the cooling duct system is arranged in the area of the “top face” of the first and/or of the second plate-type element.
“In the area of a top face” means in an area which is spaced at least some distance from the plate-type cooling element or faces away from the plate-type cooling element. The inlet and the outlet are preferably arranged on a top face of the first and/or of the second plate-type element and therefore actually facing away from the plate-type cooling element. An arrangement of the inlet and of the outlet in the area of the top face of one of the plate-type elements or of the plate-type elements has the advantage that a first cell module can be “added directly in the row” to a second cell module. In addition, an accessibility of the inlet and of the outlet “from above” facilitates the mounting or the connection to a coolant or refrigerant system, to a coolant or refrigerant circuit, particularly if at least one cell module is already accommodated in a space-optimized housing.
According to a further development of the invention, a connection duct is provided in (in the sense of “in the interior”) or at the first and/or the second plate-type element, which duct extends from the cooling duct system of the plate-type cooling element to the inlet, and a connection duct is provided which extends from the cooling duct system to the outlet. In the case of such an arrangement, a differentiation is made in the terminology with respect to the cooling duct system integrated in the plate-type cooling element, the inlet and the outlet as well is the connection ducts by which the inlet and the outlet respectively are connected with the cooling duct system.
In (in the sense of “in the interior”) or at the first and/or the second plate-type element, a duct may be provided which extends from the cooling duct system to the inlet as well as a duct which extends from the cooling duct system to the outlet.
According to a further development of the invention, the duct extending from the cooling duct system to the inlet forms the first connection duct and the duct extending from the cooling duct system to the outlet forms the second connection duct, the coolant and refrigerant flowing directly in these ducts. If these ducts are integrated in the first and/or the second plate-type element, it may be provided that the coolant or refrigerant flows directly in these ducts, i.e. directly in the plate-type element(s).
The inlet and/or the outlet may be an integral component of the first and second plate-type element respectively. As an alternative, the inlet and/or the outlet may be implemented by separate flange elements which are connected with the connection ducts.
As an alternative, it may be provided that the connection ducts, which connect the cooling duct system provided in the plate-type cooling element with the inlet and the outlet respectively, are separate components arranged in the ducts, which ducts are provided on or in the first and/or the second plate-type element. An arrangement of the connection ducts in the ducts, which are provided in the or at the first and/or second plate-type element, has the advantage that the connection ducts can be thermally insulated with respect to the ducts. The connection ducts are preferably arranged in the ducts in such a manner that they do not come in direct contact with the ducts.
The connection ducts can be connected with the cooling duct system in a material-bonding manner. One of their ends may, for example, be soldered to an outlet or to an inlet of the cooling duct system. Likewise, the inlet and the outlet can be connected in a material-bonding manner with the other ends of the connection ducts, for example, by soldered connections.
One or more of the above-described cell modules may be inserted into a storage device housing or battery housing.
A separate cooling element is assigned to each of the cell modules. The cooling element of a cell module is preferably thermally insulated with respect to the storage device housing. This may particularly be achieved in that the cooling element of a cell module does not come in direct contact with the storage device housing. For example, thermally poorly conductive (i.e. thermally insulating) spacers or a flat insulating layer may be inserted between a bottom side of a cooling element of a cell module and a top face of a floor of the storage device housing. In particular, the spacers or the insulating layer may be elastic.
As an alternative to the above, it may be provided that the plate-type elements, which clamp the storage cells of a cell module together, lie or stand by means of supports on the floor of the storage device housing and are thermally uncoupled from the cooling element.
In the following, the invention will be explained in detail in connection with the drawings.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.